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Important Nutrient
Management Tool
Why keep records? Records are an integral
part of successful management. Good records are critical in the
ongoing management process of any business. Records allow managers
to evaluate previous management plans and implementation activities.
On the basis of this assessment, adjustments and improvements can
be made to future plans.
Pennsylvania’s Nutrient Management
Act provides limited liability protection to those agricultural
operations - Concentrated Animal Operations (> 2 AEUs/acre) and
Volunteers (< 2 AEUs/acre) - that properly implement their approved
Nutrient Management Plan. Proper implementation of an approved Nutrient
Management Plan includes keeping all records required by the Act
and outlined in the regulations. Up-to-date, accurate records are
critical in providing the necessary documentation of nutrient management
plan implementation for liability protection purposes.
Pennsylvania’s Nutrient Management
Act requires all records related to the implementation of an approved
Nutrient Management Plan to be retained on the operation for a minimum
of three years. While there are minor differences, the record
keeping requirements are essentially the same for both Concentrated
Animal Operations (CAOs) and Volunteer Operations. Refer to the
Record Keeping Checklist on the back of this factsheet.
It is required that the Nutrient Management
Plan be fully implemented within three years from the date the plan
is approved. The owner, operator, or nutrient management specialist
must review the approved plan at least annually to ensure that the
plan is still consistent with the operation and that it is being
implemented consistent with the measures outlined in the approved
plan. This annual review would be an excellent time to ensure that
all required records are current and available.
At the end of three years a nutrient
management specialist must review the plan. At this time an updated
Nutrient Management Plan must be submitted. Records provide essential
information in assessing the current plan and developing an updated
one.
Record Keeping
Checklist
Pennsylvania’s Nutrient
Management Plans
The following records are required to
be maintained on the operation:
| _____ |
Soil Test Results – current
within last 6 years |
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| _____ |
Manure Test Results – voluntary;
required only for CAOs that export manure |
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| _____ |
Annual Manure Production – record
of total amount of manure generated on the operation yearly |
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| _____ |
Land Application of Nutrients -
locations (field) & number of acres, months of application,
and rate of land application for each field |
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| _____ |
Crop Yields – annual (for each
field) and approximate (hand harvesting not required, simplest
estimation methods can be used) |
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| _____ |
Manure Used For Non-Land Application
– use and amount of manure |
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| _____ |
Manure Transfer Records* – CAOs:
completed ‘Manure Transfer Sheets’; Volunteers: destination,
date and amount of exported manure |
* Manure transfer records documenting
transfers to known landowners do not need to be submitted but must
be retained on the operation for at least 3 years. Manure transfer
records documenting transfers to other than known landowners (such
as to a broker or to importers using for non-Agricultural land application)
must be submitted to the Conservation District within 1 year of
the approval of the plan. When required to submit manure transfer
records the exporter may submit Manure Transfer Sheets for all manure
transfers or summarize this information on an Annual Summary of
Manure Transfers.
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